Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick in Paris

I have no idea what's up with the Le Metier de Beaute brand.  It looks like most of the major retailers, Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, etc, have very limited stock of their items.  The brand's facebook page still seems fairly active, so maybe they're just between collections.

colour core lipstick in Paris

Anyway ... this is a brand I'm curious about.  Le Metier de Beaute is very pricey and there are no counters anywhere near me, so I'm very reluctant to shell out the money for an unknown.  Usually.  However, on some of the makeup sites I read, people mentioned that a lot of products were available at deep discounts at Saks Off Fifth (Saks Fifth Avenue's overstock/outlet brick and mortar store).

There is a Saks Off Fifth just up the road from me, so I stopped in last weekend.  I was disappointed because there was nothing from Le Metier de Beaute to be found in their regular cosmetics area, but as I looked around, I found a display right near the counter and it was deeply discounted.  The sticker price on the Le Metier de Beaute items were about 65% off each and then when they rang up at the register, they gave me an additional 10 - 20% off (I'm not sure why, but I'm not complaining) per item.

One of the items I picked up is this beauty.  It's the Colour Core Lipstick in Paris and it is a bright cool fuchsia pink.  I don't think this is quite radiant orchid, but it's close and either way, it's perfect for spring.

The packaging is interesting, and not necessarily in a good way as far as I'm concerned.  The bullet is encased in a black rubberized coating very similar to NARS packaging.  It's difficult to tell from my pictures, but the bullet is actually ribbed.  So black rubberized coating plus ribbed texture mean that this thing is going to pick up and hold on to every bit of dust, powder or light colored liquid and cream product it comes into contact with, which does not please me.  The bullet is very slim and is very easy to knock over, which is also a pet peeve of mine. 

The lipstick itself is a bit on the sheer side.  It took several passes to get full opacity.  The formula feels lightweight and fairly moisturizing on the lips.  I wear all lipsticks on top of MAC's Prep+Prime lip primer, which undoubtedly extends wear time, but I got a solid 4 hours out of this formula with only minor staining.

Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipsticks contain 3.8 grams of product and typically retail for $32.  I got this on clearance at Saks Off Fifth for around $7.  I'm not impressed enough with the packaging or the formula to seek out more of this brand at full price, but at $7 they're totally worth it.

Have any of you checked out the Le Metier de Beaute sale at Saks Off Fifth?  If so, what did you pick up?

Overall:  7/10

Le Metier De Beaute Blush Kaleidoscope

I've mentioned a couple of times that I swap a lot on Makeup Alley.  Overall, I've had great experiences there and it has allowed me to pick up some fantastic products that are hard to find and/or pricey.

One of the product that I had on my wishlist forever was the Le Metier de Beaute blush kaleidoscope.  I love blush more than almost anything and everything I'd heard about the product was just phenomenal.

It turned out that I was able to swap for a brand new blush kaleidoscope and I was just about bouncing for joy as I waited for it to arrive.  There are no Le Metier de Beaute counters near me, which means that if I want to try the products, I have to buy them and then hope for the best (and a forgiving return policy).

(I particularly like how you can see my messy desk in the mirror here)

The item arrived and it was just ...

In terms of specifics, I don't know what I expected other than a generalized sense of more.  

At this price point (not that I paid money for it), I expected more.  The packaging is incredibly fussy, which I expected, but it also felt flimsy.  The pans swivel and click together and there's the pop up mirror and really, I was just worried that I was going to break it every time I opened the thing.

Also, the blush colors left me feeling rather cold.  I felt like only two of the four shades are even wearable for me.  I'm not necessarily opposed to wearing a blush as dark or as orange as the first pan, but I have other similar blushes that I like much better which I feel are less likely to make me look jaundiced and/or the victim of a self tanning session gone wrong.

A dark yellow based pink, I'm all over it, but I already have at least 4 similar shades from other brands.

This color I don't even know what the hell to do with it.  It's certainly not a blush or a highlight on me.  Perhaps as an eyeshadow?

A lovely ballerina pink that I suspect is frosty as hell.  Great.  I already own 5 of these.

You'll notice that there aren't any swatches.  Looking at the kaleidoscope, I thought I could go ahead and road test the blushes or I could package it back up and swap it off to someone else in hopes of getting something that I enjoyed more.  So ... I swapped it away.

I don't regret my choice at all.  Mostly, I'm grateful that I was able to swap for it in the first place rather than paying money to be this disappointed (Chantecaille Wild Horses, palette, I'm looking at YOU!).

This product, overall for me was just a huge letdown.  For $95 retail, I would expect to be wowed and absolutely nothing about this product wowed me.  The packaging felt cheap and gimmicky.  The blush pans were tiny.  I hope this blush kaleidoscope found love in its new home, because there was no love to be found here.

All in all, Le Metier de Beaute is going on my list of high end makeup products that just isn't living up to the hype, along with Givenchy, Chantecaille and Rouge Bunny Rouge (which, I know isn't exactly High End, but is mid-range and A Pain To Procure).

What about you guys?  What's the last beauty product you were really wanting that ended up just leaving you cold?